Elements of Short Stories Rap

To try and explain why people act the way that they do

The time and location in which a story takes placePlace: geographical locationTime: When is the story taking place?

Historical Period Time of Day Time of Year

How the author arranges events to develop the basic idea

The sequence of events in a story or play Introduction/ExpositionRising ActionClimaxFalling ActionConclusion/Denouement

Introduction (Exposition): the beginning of the story where the characters and the setting is revealed

Rising Action: the events of the story become complicated and the conflict of the story is revealedEvents between introduction and climax

Climax: the highest point of interest and the turning point of the story. What will happen next?Will the conflict be resolved or not?

Falling Action: the events and issues in the story begin to resolve themselvesWas the conflict resolved?Events between climax and

denouement

Resolution (Denouement): Final outcome or untangling of events in the storyFrench word for “untying”

A situation or problem that a character has to try and resolve

A constant, ongoing struggle that the main character is trying to find a solution to

Two Types: InternalExternal

Two Types of Conflict:External: a struggle with a force outside the

character

Internal: a struggle within a character; a character has to make a decision, overcome pain, quiet their temper, resist an urge, etc.

Man vs. Man: the main character struggles with another characterGood guy vs. bad guy

Man vs. Circumstances: the main character struggles against fate or the circumstances of life facing him/herHamlet

Man vs. Society: the main character struggles against ideas, practices, or customs in their society

Man vs. Nature: the main character struggles against nature, a natural disaster, or animalsA struggle to survive

Man vs. Himself: the main character’s struggle takes place in his/her own mind. Usually has something to do with a choice (choosing between right and wrong), or it may have to do with overcoming emotions or mixed feelings

Character: the people in a work of fiction

Character Development: the change in the person from the beginning to the end of the story

Characterization: the way a person looks, talks, acts, or thinks

Protagonist: main character of the story who is faced with a conflictUsually the “hero” or good guy

Antagonist: person who goes against the main character who may contribute to the conflictUsually the “villain” or bad guy

First Person Point of ViewOne of the characters in the story is telling

the story through their perspective, or through their own eyes

When reading stories written in first person, we need to realize that what the narrator is saying is based on their own personal feelings

Third Person Omniscient Point of ViewThe narrator is not a character in the storyThe narrator is an outside voice that lets us

know exactly how the characters feel.We learn about the characters through this

outside voice.

Objective Point of ViewThe writer tells what happens without

stating more than can be inferred from the story's action and dialogue.

The narrator never tells anything about what the characters think or feel, remaining a detached observer.

Controlling idea in a piece of fiction or its central insight

The author’s underlying meaning Main idea the author is trying to explain The theme may be an author’s thoughts

about a topic or view of human natureExamples of Common Themes from

Literature, TV, and Film: Things are not always what they appear to be Love is blind Believe in yourself Evil exists in the world

When the opposite of what you expect to happen takes place

Verbal Irony: when someone says one thing, but really means anotherKind of like sarcasm

Person, place, thing, or event that stands for itself and for something beyond itself

Example: heart stands for the actual organ and for love

A scene in a story that interrupts the present action of the plot to flash backwards and tell what happened at an earlier time

A scene in a story that interrupts the present action of the plot and goes into the future